>> welcome to al jazeera america. i'm del walters. these are the stories we're following for you. curbing the nsa, putting the brakes on that mass itch data collection system. counting down to the winter olympics. sochi trying to get ready. the head of the agency in charge of putting together president obama's health care law with the affordable health

care website. >> i want to apologize to you that the website hasn't worked as well as it could. we know you need affordable coverage. we assure you that the website will be fixed. >> she had cmk the centers for medicare and medicaid services, the congress people continue to grill her, tavener says the issues should be fixed at the end of november. she is the first person to testify about the website and let's listen in. >> i'm not asking for incomes verification. if a person signs up were they offered credible employer insurance? because that's been delayed, you have to come up with a new verification tool to determine

their eligibility for suns dis. if a person meets the qualifications they can't get credible insurance. >> that's correct sphwhrp if a a -- if a person is twif years old, they can get that subsidy but if they're eligible to be on their parents plan. they're not eligible for that subsidy. >> that's correct. >> here is the question. if you get this wrong the way the law works is you have to take that money back in their tax refund. tax refunds matter. people plan their lives around their tax refunds. >> i understand that. >> they plan their spring breaks and their tax bills, they're going oget their tax refund taken away from them because they have signed up for a subsidy which they weren't eligible for which they didn't know. >> if you have been on the site, this is the clear instruction to

the underage including 26. you're basically completing this application under penalty of perjury. it is very clear. there are help instructions on each site to explain each process. what is credible employer explanation. >> they are going to get taxed. >> time has expired. mr. lewis. >> thank you, madam administrator for being here thank you for your hard work and for your years of service. i happen to believe that health care is a right and not a privilege. it is not just for the fortunate few, but all citizens of america. now, the affordable care act is the law of the land. it was passed by the congress, signed into law by the president of the united states, and upheld by the united states supreme court. there have been more than 40 attempts to repeal the act and it did not proceed.

and by attempting the repeal it, members of this body, members on the other side of the aisle, closed down this government, and threatened the economy of the united states. causing us more than $24 billion. this remind me of another period of our history. not so long ago. during the '50s many southern senators signed a southern manifesto after the supreme court decision of 1954. and those senators, along with many southern governors, subscribed to the doctrine of interposition and notification. and some even massive resistance. that's what we saw on the part of the republican members of the house and some of the republicans in the senate. the affordable care act is working.

it is helping to make health care affordable and accessible to hundreds and thousands and millions of our citizens, who have never had health care before. when i was growing up in rural alabama, we couldn't afford to see a doctor. not only alabama but kentucky and georgia and all across the deep south can see a doctor. we must do what is right what is fair and what is just. now madam administrator i have a truck here this morning and i want to use my remaining time for you to explain to the members of the committee the success and the benefits of the aca. there have been a deliberate and systematic attempt on the part of the majority in the house and the minority in the senate to

make it impossible for all america to receive quality health care. and some of us will not stand for it! we will stand up and fight for what is right, for what is fair and what is just! health care is a right and not a privilege! walk us through the try. >> the 78 million consumers spendinsaving $3.8 billion on tr premiums. the medical loss ratio, this went in the form of checks to individuals. i actually got thank you cards from individuals that i had never met, thanking me for the rebate. 17 million children with preexisting conditions were used to be able to be denied coverage. this goes back to the flaws in the laws before the affordable

care act. 16.6 million able to stay on their parents plan, critical at the time what was going through their economy. 17.7 million seniors in the doughnut hole, let me remind you that the part b premium being flat for next year, that is some of the work of the affordable care act in controlling cost. and let me just say going back to your point, congressman, is that if we had the highest outcomes, if we had the lowest infant moralityity, if we had the longest life span, maybe it would be worth it but it does not look good and the condition of the country is not good and certainly in the deep south that is the case. >> thank you very much, yield back my time. >> we went through website, we don't see anywhere where it says

if you are under 26 there is a verification. >> let me also say one thing that i had wrong. as a young adult can you stay on your parents policy and you can get your coverage that way. >> the question was there was no check on the subsidy. >> or you may go as an individual and you would be eligible for annal assessment. >> mr. ryan's point can you get a free subsidy and get that back on your tax return. that was the point mr. ryan was -- >> you are listening to the are testimony of marilyn tavener, the head of the cms, centers for medicare and medi-cal. the rollouts of the are website has been a disaster, her responding to that question, and they now say the problems have been fixed, and that they are taking more of a waints approace

approach. meanwhile health and human services secretary katherine sebelius will receive grilling also, her first appearance on capitol hill since the website launched on october 1st. there are members of congress calling for her head on a platter. the nation's top intelligence leaders are going to be facing top questions when they head to capitol hill today. james clapper the head of national intelligence head keith alexander are both set to testify before the house intelligence committee, erica ferrari has our story. >> a bipartisan group of lawmakers, curtail the national security agency's indistric

indiscriminate,. >> james sensenbrenner. , provides stronger restrictions against who the nsa can target when it comes to spying and require the government to delete information it collects accidentally, more aggressively than it does now. the bill reportedly has a dozen co-sponsors in the senate and 70 in the house. meanwhile senator dianne feinstein, the democratic head of the intelligence committee, in a statement feinstein said i am totally opposed to nsa surveillance of u.s. allies. it is abundantly clear that a total review of all intelligence programs is necessary. the white house says that president obama was not aware of just how extensive the nsa's intelligence gathering was until this summer but the president insists there will be a complete review of the nsa's spying

policy. >> what we've seen over the last several years is their capacity has continued to develop and expand and that's why i'm initiating a review to make sure that what they're able to do doesn't necessarily mean what they should doing. >> in washington a european delegation arrived this week, looking for answer he about spying claims, including new allegations the u.s. monitored 60 million called in spain last december. >> figure out why this kind of massive is happening, in the end we are fighting a battle in terms of security. we need to get that balance right. >> and while president obama maintains he is the final user of all nsa intelligence european officials are not backing down. they want their privacy better protected and say continued spying could affect a u.s.-europe trade agreement.

erica friar ferrari, al jazeera. >> randall pinkston joins us from washington. ranl, you heard the trust has to be rebuilt between the u.s. and its allies. what steps are being taken on capitol hill to do just that? is. >> i suppose you would say they are extraordinary step. first of all one on one meeting with a top intelligence operator general keith alexander, who is the director of the national security agency, and he of course would have been expected to assure them that they will not be the subjects of future spying. of course the big question is: whether, to what extent the u.s. spied on them in the past. the white house has set that it is not happening now and that it will not happen in the future. but we continue to hear white house spokesman jay clapper

refuse to say how extensive it is. how extensive america's spy operations has continued. this new amendment to the patriot act which has been discussed will also include provisions that will establish a privacy advocate, someone who can talk about civil liberties with respect to america's spike program and first of all it will require the foreign intelligence court that top secret court to make public some of its findings. heretofore, all of of its findis have been made in secrecy but not anymore. to the extent they address foreign spying we'll have to wait and see. >> randall, thank you very much. the leaders of pakistan and afghanistan are meeting today,

the meetings are taking on new urgency. the 92nd troops are year.awing from afghanistan reveal the location of a key taliban commander. the trilateral summit is meant to bring stability to that region. two men linked to a deadly crash in tiananmen square. witnesses reported hearing an explosion before a car caught fire. chinese officials have yet to comment on the charge that it was a.terrorist attack. coming up on al jazeera america. it has been a year since sandy hit and people are still dealing with their insurance companies.

antonio mora brings you smart conversation that challenges the status quo with unexpected opinions and a fresh outlook. including yours. determining using some sort of subjective interpretation of their policy as to whether or not your particular report was actually abusive, because if it doesn't contain language that specifically threatens you directly or is tly or isis targ you specifically, they may not consider it abuse. they may consider it offensive. and in that case they just recommend that you block that person. >> i don't want to minimise this, because i mean, there's some really horrible things that are on

>> welcome back. texas is now appealing a decision, about abortions, opponents claim it is unconstitutional, the judge agreed. states attorney general claims that the case could go all the way to the supreme court. well checking the big board, stocks not moving as much today on data as consumer confidence offsets the positive earnings reports that have been coming out but investors are mostly holding back. right now though things are in positive territory. they are awaiting news from the fed about when policy makers are going to be pulling back on that bond-buying stimulus plan. that information will be released tomorrow. the dow at this hour up 56

points. positive territory for your 401(k). yesterday it was apple today, linked in. the network has beaten wall street, reports after the bell today. here is a positive sign for the economy you might not have heard about. high rollers are paying their gambling debts. during the great recession, gambling, lowered those estimates oprerecession rates and visitors are going back to vegas to 2007 levels. vegas, baby. superstorm sandy destroyed thousands of homes when it hit the coastal communities of new york and new jersey one year ago but some people are still struggling today. erica pitzi has the story. one year later. >> it was the first home they owned and the sass family had

only lived into for four months before superstorm sandy slammed into their home of manisquaw, new jersey. >> it was hard to separate out our situation from everybody else's because it was such a collective heartbreak. >> throughout months their neighbors are picking up the pieces but jeff and dina are on a standstill. >> where are you? >> exactly where we were the day of the storm. this was basically where the foundation cracked all the way through the footings and the force of the water on the house. which also buckled the inside of the house and the floors. >> first things first: fix the foundation. since they had flood insurance from the federal government they thought they were covered. but when they went to collect their claim with the national flood insurance program that was run by fema they were flat

denied. the policy doesn't provide for earth movement even though the earth movement was caused by flood. >> it made no sense, when you can have flood policy even caused by flood. it's like having car insurance and they don't cover anything below the windows even if you're in a car accident. >> keep in mind after sandy new flood insurance policies also require residents like the sasses to raise their home. >> you can't add concrete block below a foundation that is not sound. >> public adjustor dave charles says the sass family is one of thousands of sandy survivors that fell victim to loophole that was designed to provide sinkhole coverage. the problem is that this policy was written by congress.

so it would literally take an act of congress to change the language to help storm victims that is, unless a high ranking state leader stepped in like governor quomo did. >> to take care of this heinous earth movement seclusion saved thousands of people. >> there could be thousands more who are still stranded because they live in new jersey. governor christie chastised congress for delaying disaster relief. >> 66 days and counting. shairm on you, shame on congress. >> he's got the same access to this. he can wave his hand and make this all go away. >> jeff and dina need this to go away quickly. >> the rental assistance we're getting from fema runs out in

six months. >> the sasses cannot afford rent on top of their mortgage. and they can't afford to rebuild their home, which could cost $150,000. and they have three children. who have their own problems with the storm. and then there's jeff who was renal diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease. >> this puts us in a uniquely disastrous position. >> what gets them through this day is their kids. >> we don't know how we could have made it through this year. they're funny and full of life. as long as we have that coming through the door every day, that makes it a lot easier. >> erica pitti, al jazeera. >> reached out to governor christie and no one has returned

our calls or e-mails. keep in mind, governor quomo's help is coming out of the sandy relief fund that state leaders can use at their discretion. much of the boardwalk of seaside heights was destroyed from the storm, john terrett is there. what has governor christie said about the superstorm hitting his state? >> they like the fact that he stands up on a national level for state of new jersey, he has been doing the morning television programs today, and said incredible progress has been made but he still has to bang the heads of federal leaders together, to make sure sandy relief continues to flow. they've been rather stuck in many places. he also pointed out that 92 days it took the congress the get any

kind of federal relief into this area for the people hardest hit by the storm and he talked about the katrina hangover, there was quite a bit of fraud after katrina and the feds cracked down on that. >> john take us back, what was the impact of the storm along that iconic jersey shore line? >> you know del, there are so many impacts, that you can talk about. there was 117 people killed in the united states when superstorm sandy came ashore. 70 of them in jersey but 30 of them on the night, so that's the human toll. monmouth county and ocean county, where i am on seaside heights, they were the hardest hit counties. but for me the greatest legacy is there were 346 homes and businesses that were wiped out busy superstorm sandy, we heard erica pitzer's story.

the weather was lousy on labor day and of course on july the 4th as well. they really didn't make the money they were hoping to but the real impact for me is you drive up and down the jersey shore you see areas where people have not been able to rebuild because the insurance companies haven't paid them all the money they promised and the federal aid is slow to come in so you have blight on the once iconic jersey shore which was not there before and it's very, very sad to see that del. >> john terrett aat seaside heights. thanks del. let's look at how it formed, nicole mitchell. >> the storm started off in the pacific and moved it to the pacific. it was a category 3 before it made it to the atlantic. it was able to grow very large. instead of lots of storms that skirt the coastline, and then

make an entry, this moved in, perpendicular. so you have a big storm hitting directly into the coastline and that caused that huge wall of water we had. even though technically it wasn't a hurricane at landfall. these are some of the costliest hurricanes earlier, loss of life was the big damage for storms, still can be devastating today but warnings conbetter and buildup, people on the coastline is now more impressive so we see these storm totals going higher and higher. a lot of people rebuilding in some of these areas as these storms come along. back to you. >> nicole thanks so much. it was unseasonably warm in places in the united states

today, up next your national forecast. closest to the story, invite hard-hitting debate and desenting views and always explore issues relevant to you.

>> welcome back to al jazeera america. i'm del walters these are your headlines. u.s. intelligence sources are going to be under review in washington. one of the leaders that will testify before congress is the head of the national security agency, dr. keith alexander. we'll show you that at 1:30 this afternoon. an apology by marilyn tavener. she was testifying before a sharply critical house committee. it's been one year since hurricane sandy hit the new york and new jersey coast lines. the cleanup tapped to exceed $65 billion. >> i'm dave warren with your national forecast. two different extremes between the west coast and the east

coast, winter storm out west, many winter weather advisories and storm warnings in effect, dumping a lot of snow over the montana area, that storm still centered over nevada but beginning to movies. cold air is behind it, warm air ahead of it. 80s and 70s from memphis to houston, billings, montana, 44. outlook for thursday, halloween, looks like we'll have the warm air coming up over the great lakes as it starts to push east and rain and colder temperatures there in the northern plains as the cold air comes behind it. what to expect, in new york, rain wednesday and thursday could linger into friday. temperatures upper 60s loafer 70s. drying out by the weekend. del. >> dave warren, thank you very much. thank each and every one of you

for watching al jazeera america. go to our website and check us out, aljazeera.com. is this the new business or usual or is it damaging american foreign policy. plus the influence of rock legend lou reed and his impact on the culture from the 60s to today. >> hello, i'm libby casey. tonight on inside story we'll take a walk on the wild side and look at the life and legacy of iconic rocker lou reed who died at the age of 71. first we'll focus on american spying, specifically spying on friends, and our friends are not happy. tonight you can adai